


What if we were soulmates

by Avidfangirlforlife



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: F/F, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:55:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26061505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Avidfangirlforlife/pseuds/Avidfangirlforlife
Summary: A soulmate au
Relationships: Waverly Earp & Nicole Haught, Waverly Earp/Nicole Haught
Comments: 10
Kudos: 253





	What if we were soulmates

Waverly Earp is nine years old when she finally learns about soulmates. Before then, she’s heard about them before. Love matches are most commonly formed because of soul mates, but she’s never really been sure of what they are. It’s a bit of an ambiguous term in her mind. Just sort of something that exists.

Like war. And democracy. And peace. And soulmates.

She’s not really sure what any of those words mean. Even if she knows what they all are in the abstract. Nobody ever really seems to think about helping children pin those words down. Not until they ask about them, that is. It seems to her that it is always the child’s responsibility to ask and make sure they have the information pinned down.

So, when she first learns about soulmates, she is in school. For once, her teacher (Mrs. Hensley), is wearing shorter sleeves in the classroom. Which makes sense to Waverly, because they live in the dessert and it’s almost time for the summer holidays.

But because she is wearing short sleeves for the first time all year, the children in her class can see the tattoo that exists, boldly and proudly, on her left forearm. It is a beautifully bright and vivid twist of colour that stretches all the way from her wrist up to her elbow. Waverly finds herself slightly in awe because it is truly stunning. She’s ever so slightly mesmerized by it.

Eventually, someone puts their hand up and asks about the tattoo. Where did it come from? What is it? Will they ever be allowed one? With a gentle sigh, Mrs. Hensley finishes up with the maths lesson and sits down at her desk. She explains soulmates in a way that nine-year-olds can understand. Even years later, it is an explanation that sticks with Waverly.

Soulmates are a part of the world and have existed for as long as humans. No one, not even the leading scientists can explain where they came from, or why it happens. It might just be the universe, or it might be that there is a logical explanation. But ever since humans have existed, so have soulmates. 

Getting your tattoo happens when you turn 18. Every single person wakes up with a tattoo on their body. Your soulmate will be the only person alive who has a matching tattoo to yours. It often means that the two of you are most compatible. Sometimes people get tattoos that match with people they don’t want to marry, like their best friend. Sometimes your best friend will be the person you marry.

Your tattoo doesn’t decide on that, you get to. It’s all a choice. But soulmates can be wonderful. Mrs. Hensley finishes with a smile. Waverly Earp decides a soulmate must be a truly wonderful thing. At the same time, she finds herself worrying. Because what if she gets a tattoo but never finds her soulmate?

When she gets home that evening, she finds herself sitting at the scrubbed kitchen table, fiddling with her hands and chewing her lip. She stares at the wood grain for what feels like hours. She can feel Gus watching her, a frown on her face and her forehead crinkled.

Eventually, she dries her hands on a hand towel and pulls up a chair next to Waverly. Gently, she separates Waverly’s hands from one another. She doesn’t ask what’s wrong. That’s one of the really great things about Aunt Gus. She always waits for you to be ready. Raising Wynonna has taught the woman to have the patience of a saint.

Finally, voice small, Waverly finds herself voicing what’s worrying her.

“What if I get a tattoo and then never find my soulmate?”

Gus huffs a quiet laugh and Waverly finds herself looking up at that. 

In a quiet and reassuring voice, Gus tells her that you can be in love with someone, even if they are not your soulmate. Two people together can still make a very happy life together, even if their tattoos don’t match. Confidentially, she tells Waverly that her and Uncle Curtis have tattoos that don’t match. They loved one another anyway. They’ve been happy together for twenty years anyway. 

Not having a matching tattoo doesn’t stop you from falling in love, Gus says. You fall in love with the person, not the mark on their skin, Gus says. Just love the person and if your tattoos match that’s great, and if they don’t that’s also great, Gus says.

That sticks with Waverly Earp as well.

*

All through middle school and early high school, all anyone seems to be able to talk about is their soulmate. What their soulmate will look like, and smell like and sound like. Will they be attractive? Will they be on the football team? Will they get married young and start a family?

For Waverly, it’s slightly worrying that so many of the girls in her year are more focused on boyfriends and getting married young than they are on schoolwork and going to college and getting their dream career. Of course, she’s interested in all of that as well. She wants someone to love and to be loved in return as much as the next girl, but she doesn’t want that to be all there is.

She works hard at school and maintains her 4.0 GPA. She participates in as many different extra curricula activities as she can. She’s head cheerleader, on the dance squad and the debate team and she speaks 5 different languages fluently. She also runs track and plays the piano. From 13 onwards she starts to cultivate her collection of things to impress colleges with. Sure, she only gets four hours of sleep a night, but a person can live on that. The answer is coffee and meticulous planning.

Somehow, she also manages to make time for her friends. They’re all a bit too boy crazy, but that isn’t exactly a problem. Waverly is a bit less interested in boys, she just isn’t sure how much they’re for her. She likes them. Of course, she does. She wants a boyfriend as much as the next girl. Someone to go on dates with and hold hands with and talk to and kiss.

It’s just that (and this isn’t something she would ever feel comfortable admitting to her friends- not even to Chrissie) whenever she’s dreamed about meeting her soulmate and falling in love, which is a lot, she’s always dreamed that it will be a girl. A woman. A woman with big, warm, brown eyes that are full of laughter. A smile that can make her knees weak. But that’s just a dream.

So, when senior year starts and her 18th birthday is still months and months away and Champ Hardy asks her out at the first big football game of the year, in front of everyone, she says yes. She agrees because he’s handsome and popular and honestly she would never hear the end of it from her friends if she said no.

She says yes, even though she isn’t sure if she likes him. Even though the two of them have never had anything close to a proper conversation. She says yes, because she doesn’t know how to say no in front of all those people. It’s supposed to be a sweet gesture, but she finds that it irritates her. Couldn’t he have asked her in private?

She smiles and says yes, and she pretends that she enjoys the rough way he kisses her. She doesn’t. he tastes like mustard from the hotdog he ate and even that bothers her. He couldn’t have asked a friend for some gum, or even a mint?

Waverly and Champ start dating, and she then finds that she isn’t sure how to get out. They go to home coming together and dance in front of everyone. And she sleeps with him. The have sex in the back of his pick up truck, and she pretends to enjoy it. He kisses her, and she pretends to enjoy it.

Her friends constantly moon over her relationship, and she says nothing. Just smiles and nods. She doesn’t tell them about her dreams. She doesn’t tell them that she feels nothing when he kisses her. She doesn’t tell them that she’s applied for colleges on the East Coast, as far away as Boston. She’s always wanted to go to Boston College.

She doesn’t say anything. When Champ starts talking about how they could get married when school lets out, start a family nice and early, she tries to swallow the panic in her throat and the nausea building in her stomach. He tells her that he loves her and when she can’t reply it doesn’t seem to bother him.

He seems to think that she couldn’t do anything but love him in return.

He says that he wants to spend his life with her. He’ll support her and be the bread winner, she can stay at home and raise the family. She pretends the thought of it doesn’t make her want to scream at him. He doesn’t really know her. He never took the time to get to know her. But that isn’t really his fault. It’s hers as well. 

Waverly starts to feel trapped in the relationship. She isn’t quite sure how to get out. Champ already has his tattoo. Got held back 2 school years, so although he’s a senior, he’s actually nearly 21. They would be the perfect match. He already works on her Uncle Curtis’ farm. Most of her friends are dying to be in her position. All she wants is to get out. But she doesn’t know how.

She knows that as soon as she gets her tattoo, Champ is going to propose. He asked Uncle Curtis for his permission already. It feels as though her dreams of college are slipping away and she doesn’t know how to get them back. It all feels like a huge mess.

The countdown to her 18th birthday begins, and it fills her with a sense of dread. If her tattoo matches Champ Hardy’s, she thinks she’ll have to marry him. Knows that logically, she doesn’t have to, but she isn’t sure how she’ll escape. She’s never been very good at going against what people expect of her.

And this is expected. Even if Gus keeps frowning at the prospect. Curtis is thrilled. He says Champ is a steady lad who will always provide for her. She loves her Uncle Curtis, but he’s never understood that she doesn’t want a man to provide for her. She can make her own way.

What if her tattoo doesn’t match? 

What happens then?

Freedom. She thinks. 

When her 18th arrives, she spends a sleepless night waiting for her tattoo to appear. Recently, she’s taken the time to memorise Champ’s, so that she’ll know as soon as she sees it. 

In the morning, she stands in front of the mirror, turning this way and that. On her shoulder blade, vivid and delicate, is a swirling pattern she has never seen before. It doesn’t match Champ’s.

Champ comes to see her first thing. He’s all smiles and there’s a bulge in his pocket that she knows is a box containing a ring. She fights hard to control the smile she feels fighting to break free. She knows she needs to look sad.

Silently, she turns around and shows him her tattoo. It is distinctly different from his. She watches his smile flicker as he realizes what it means. 

And then he breaks up with her and leaves. It’s the start of spring break, so she doesn’t see him or anyone else for a few weeks. She flies to Boston over the break and her place at Boston College is confirmed.

When school starts up again at the end of April, she finds out. He has started dating Kathy, whose tattoo apparently came through and matches his. She smirks at Waverly in triumph. Pleasantly, Waverly smiles back and wishes them the best.

She is free.

*

On her first day of college, she finds herself ridiculously excited. There are so many new opportunities, and one of those is meeting her soulmate. Her and Gus hire a truck to move her stuff across the country and go on a road trip together. She knows Gus is proud of her, but she also knows that she’ll miss her like crazy.

She’ll miss home, but god is she happy to be leaving.

They arrive in Boston early and find the campus jam packed. Eventually, they park the van and start negotiating their way through the crowds with their arms full of Waverly’s stuff. Some guys offer to help, flirting with Waverly all the while. Gus just smiles and rolls her eyes indulgently. 

They find her dorm room and she can’t help but feel excited. This is a new start for her. As they are unloading the last of her stuff, she turns around and finds herself face to face with a tall and very, very pretty red-haired girl. Waverly finds herself with palms that are suddenly sweaty. She looks up into the face of the other girl and gives a start.

Big, warm, brown eyes look straight back at her. The girl smiles at Waverly and extends a hand.

“Hi there. My name’s Nicole Haught and I think I must be your roommate.”

Waverly smiles back, clears her throat and introduces herself. She can’t seem to stop herself from staring, and Nicole has an amused glint in her eyes. Waverly supposes that, when a girl is that pretty, of course people can’t help but stare at her. She also thinks that Nicole might be staring straight back. 

The two of them maintain eye contact for a long while. They haven’t released each other’s hands yet either. They stay there, in the mess that is Waverly’s stuff, for a long moment. That is, until, Gus awkwardly clears her throat, saying that she’d best get going. 

As she hugs Waverly goodbye, she mutters to Waverly, 

“It’s probably a good things that you and that block headed boy of yours broke up.”

Waverly pretends not to know what she means.

*

Waverly and Nicole find themselves becoming fast friends. As roommates, they already spend a lot of time together. But they find that they have a good connection and bounce well off each other, so they spend time together.

As time starts to pass, Waverly learns a lot about Nicole. She comes from a small town in Utah, where her Mama is the head of the Sheriff’s department. She tells Waverly lots of stories about how her six older brothers were always getting into trouble because of this. She tells her about how her dad died when she was ten and how her Mama raised them all by herself after that. She tells Waverly about coming out in a small conservative town and how supportive her Mama was.

In return, Waverly tells Nicole about Daddy’s accident and Wylla dying and how Wynonna was her very flighty older sister. She talks about Champ and how she felt suffocated by their relationship. She even tells her about the breakup. About the different tattoos. She doesn’t say more than that and Nicole doesn’t ask. She likes that.

*

In November, Waverly is scrolling through Instagram when she sees something that bothers her. Kathy and Champ have gotten married. Kathy has a baby bump. An about to pop baby bump. An “I’ve been pregnant for 9 months” baby bump. 

She calls Nicole, who should be on her way back from class. Of course, she picks up instantly, because of course she does. She loves that Nicole, who has fast become the best friend she never had before, is always there. She’s always reliable. 

She tells her what has happened and sends her screenshots. Listens to Nicole’s colourful curses down the phone and even as she laughs she finds herself idly wondering what it would be like to be in love with someone like Nicole. She blushes down beet red and finds she’s very glad Nicole isn’t here in person.

Over the phone, Nicole says she’ll be home soon.

Home.

Waverly sits and waits and pretends that the thought doesn’t make her heart beat faster. Although it definitely does.

Nicole arrives, sweaty and panting (and Waverly definitely doesn’t stare) 20 minutes later, holding a bag filled with chocolate and snacks and a bottle of wine. Which they proceed to drink. 

Somehow, they start talking about soulmates. Nicole is a romantic, it turns out, and she talks about how she loves the concept. But that she thinks she’d like to fall in love and then find the confirmation of soul mates after that. Waverly thinks that sounds wonderful.

They lapse into silence and just exist together. Waverly can’t help but think how nice it is, to just be able to exist with someone. There’s no pressure to talk or to do much of anything. It’s really, really nice.

She finds herself thinking about how nice it would be to exist like this with Nicole, but with some cuddling involved. That might be even nicer. Absently, she notices herself taking Nicole’s hand in her own. Finds her thumb stroking along the back of her hand.

She realizes what she’s doing as she realizes that Nicole is staring at her. It’s not a ‘what the hell are you doing?’ stare. It’s more that her eyes are soft and she’s looking at her with something more than friendship in her eyes.

Waverly stares right back. Thoughtfully, she looks down at their now joined hands. Then, she slowly leans towards Nicole, their hands still joined, and brushes her lips against Nicole’s cheek. Her lips tingle and she feels warm all over and she can see that Nicole’s eyes have glazed over slightly. Her breathing has sped up slightly as well.

“You really are the best friend I ever had, you know?”

*

As time passes and her freshman year of college flies by, Waverly can feel herself falling for her best friend. She knows it’s happening, can’t see any way to stop it. Not that she wants to. But she also doesn’t want to ruin their friendship. Even if what they already have is friendship and the promise of something else as well.

And then one day something happens. She’s rushing to get ready for class, because she fell asleep over her books while she was studying. She takes a rushed shower and then finds herself running around their dorm room like a headless chicken trying to get herself ready on time.

She’s half dressed, jeans and sports bra on, when Nicole gets home from the library. Furiously, she’s hunting for her favourite cropped grey sweater and doesn’t turn around when Nicole comes up. Just calls out over her shoulder about her predicament. 

That’s when she hears a gasp and then the sounds of something hitting the floor with a thump. She turns around to find Nicole gaping at her, eye focused on her shoulder, where her tattoo exists. Nicole’s textbooks are on the floor and she’s open mouthed and slowly turning red. There’s also a flicker of something like desire in her eyes. She stammers something that doesn’t really resemble words in any of the languages Waverly speaks and promptly turns around and disappears back out of the door that hasn’t yet swung fully closed.

Bemused, Waverly tried to work out what has just happened. She’s concerned, of course she is. Nicole must have seen her tattoo. But she can’t quite seem to grasp what the connection is. She picks up her phone, shoots Nicole a text that is mostly question marks, and then finishes getting ready for class and heads out. 

She figures that her and Nicole will just discuss whatever that was later.

*

When Waverly gets in from the library after a very long study session that evening, it is with a slight air of annoyance. Nicole hadn’t replied to her text or acknowledged anything.  
Still, she’d picked up some dessert for the two of them to share. She wasn’t that annoyed.

She unlocks their dorm room door, only to find Nicole sat on her bed. She’s wearing sweats, and she has one trouser leg rolled up to above her knee. Waverly finds herself taking a second to appreciate the sight. Nicole has perfect legs.

Nicole looks at her as she comes in and she stands and turns around. This time, it’s Waverly who finds herself gaping, because Nicole has a tattoo on the back of her leg. A bright and vividly colourful swirling pattern that perfectly matches Waverly’s. It feels as though a tonne of bricks has hit her. In the best way, of course.

Nicole sits back down and she starts to talk. She explains that from the first time she saw her, she knew she had feelings for her. Knew that her feelings for Waverly were something special. She explains that she loves her, has been in love with her for months. But she didn’t want to say anything to risk their friendship.

Then she says that she wants something other than, or as well as, their very wonderful friendship. She wants Waverly to be hers, always. She says she understands if that isn’t what Waverly wants, because she knows that soulmates can be platonic and friends and that’s also wonderful by her. But that she would like something else, if that was what Waverly wanted.

And she looks at Waverly, brown eyes warm and hopeful and full of what Waverly would say looks like love. And she waits for whatever Waverly replies. 

Waverly finds herself moving closer to Nicole, until she is standing right in front of her. For a moment she doesn’t say anything, just stands and looks down at Nicole for once. Then, she slowly bends down and kisses her. Softly. 

She feels her breath catch and her heart speed up and her entire body respond in a way it never did when she kissed Champ. And it is wonderful. Nicole responds so enthusiastically and Waverly knows that she must have thought about this just as much as she had.

She pulls away and whispers “yes”.

And then they sit down to share the chocolate mousse that Waverly picked up from their favourite place.

And she finds herself thinking that this might just be the start of a beautiful journey.


End file.
